[PRP] Nest Best Thing

[Magician Arcana]

Warm sunlight glowed upon Adam's bare arms, as shadows danced across the ground on the path through the Cyprus Wood, heading towards Camphorean. Overhead the tree foliage cut off most of the direct heat, but there was still enough ambient heat to make the grunt sweat tiny trickles down his neck. It was too nice to be stuck in headquarters, and even though the 'lawn', as Adam enjoyed calling it, was wooded it was still work. Memories that hurt his soul bubbled up uncontrollably, memories of a ghost that Adam couldn't chase down anymore. So leaving the grounds was what he wanted to do. Akira was sleeping at this hour, and Adam didn't want to disturb his boyfriend. If he went to or near the city Akira lived in, then the urge to bug him would be much too strong to ignore. One simply did not walk into Camphorean and not bug the cutie-patootie.

The woods grew thicker as he stepped off of the paved path and began down a secondary path. According to the marker, this one headed to Sagestone town, but avoided Sandalwood. There was also a new lump of guilt and tension that the blonde really needed to deal with before it got out of hand, and the urge to drink it into submission became much stronger. Maybe the Beauty would appear again? Adam's mouth dried at the thought and his pulse raced. Taking a deep breath he let it out slowly through his teeth. Or perhaps he should not go looking for trouble? That seemed the most logical approach. Then again, when had he ever been logical? Adam smirked crookedly as he kept walking on the worn path. Tall grass covered each side, and the path in the center was worn down to the dry dirt ruts where trainers had explored. It was surprising the KSO hadn't come out and made it paved. Maybe one day they would.

Every now and again it was nice to be alone, to let yourself collect loose thoughts and chase down half formed ideas that were lost in the bustle of conversation and life. Looking for the woman he had tried to steal things from wasn't smart, at least at this point. Adam wasn't ready to face her so soon. From the left Manny, the Gastly,approached his trainer at a leisurely pace.

Adam stopped walking and looked at the ground. Manny whined. It must have been great if the little bugger was so insistent. With a broad grin he stated, "Sure, why the ******** not? S'not like we got anythin' else to do, ya'know?" Manny chirped happily, whizzing off in the direction.

It was pretty nice. The trees were less clumped here, and the grass was pushed and mashed in some areas, making for delectably soft seats. Adam sank into one and sighed, his face going slack as his arms and legs spread. More sunlight spilled through the leaves, warming his face. After a few moments, he pulled out the other two pokemon he had with him. Flicker, the Litwick, and Maki, the Growlithe. Both shook themselves off and ran off to join Manny, who was now playing by a rather larger tree in the center of the clearing.

Adam fiddled with his lip ring as he watched the monsters with glazed eyes, his mind elsewhere for the moment.  

[Suudonym]

School was out, and that meant it was summer. It was summer, and Shoyo had worked damned hard over the course of the school year to bring his grades up enough to satisfy his mother. It was the first time in his life that he'd actually made honor roll, but the results of his studies weren't what he was most happy about. No, it was the fact that he had met his mother's condition, and that meant that from now on, he was enrolled in the pokemon course. This wasn't just any summer - it was the first summer of the rest of his life as a pokemon trainer.

Shoyo couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than with a good long hike. (Well, a proper volleyball set or two would have been ideal, but for that he needed a team, and a team just was not happening.) The bright boy picked his way sure-footedly through the forested area, peeking into bushes now and again to see if anything was hiding there and listening for the sounds of pokemon nearby. He proudly wore two pokeballs at his waist, and more empty ones were gathered up in his shoulder bag - along with his volleyball, of course - in anticipation of the opportunity to catch another companion.  

[Magician Arcana]

Somewhere between contemplating life, the universe, and everything, and watching his pokemon frolic in the fields, Adam's eyelids had slid shut. Tension in his muscles relaxed until he lay limply, curled in half a ball on the soft, fragrant grass. He wasn't exactly asleep, but not awake either.

As the sun shifted, the spot where the blonde had lain was flooded with sunlight. Groaning, Adam sat up and scrubbed a hand across his face, moping his features roughly. Sun was nice, but that didn't stop his Kalos ancestry from burning him to a crisp. Tsking, he stood stiffly and approached the tree that the pokemon were playing around.

Climbing trees had been a long pastime for the rocket. Humming, he looked up along the branches. It was old, and strong. Adam pressed an ear against the rough bark and knocked against its wood. Seemed healthy too. Grinning, the lanky man grasped two low hanging branches and braced a boot against the trunk.

Flicker called up to his trainer, watching curiously. Manny, sprung through the tree and licked the candle, making him squeal.

"I'm going to..." Adam tensed himself, mentally preparing and planning the next move once he was up, "to climb the tree!" Swiftly he ascended, slipping his legs around the thick low hanging branch. Straddling it and resting against the large trunk, he smirked broadly and peeked at the upper story of the tree. There were many branches. Suddenly the urge to get to the top was strong. Strategically he picked his way higher and higher, making sure to test each branch before committing to moving further up.


Adam grew cocky with his climbing. Grabbing a branch, he began to hoist himself up until a sharp crack sent his stomach tumbling to earth. Yelping, the grunt quickly descended to the last branch as the limb bent. Something slowly slid down the broken tree arm. Adam reached out and snagged it from the air. It was... A nest? Three pokemon eggs rested in his arms.

"What the ******** Adam could comprehend what this meant, there was a coo of a pidgey. Followed by more and more. The air began to hum with the beat of wings and vibrate with the coos and calls. Realizing just how screwed he was, the trainer frantically looked for a place to stow the nest and make a get away. None of the branches on his level were suitable, besides the one he had carelessly broken, to handle the nest. He'd have to climb lower, but that meant --

Too late. What Adam could only describe as wild terror mixed with righteous anger, a large female pidgey began to beat at him with her wings as she squawked and called for others to come. Her sharp talons nicked his flesh as Adam cried in horror, body half bent towards the trunk and arm raised to stop her attack.



Holding onto the branch for dear life, he kept the eggs in one arm and swatted at the distressed bird with another, "You damn thing! ******** off! s**t. s**t!" He plummeted and smashed, stomach first, into a lower branch. White clouded the rocket's vision as the air rushed from his lungs. Choking, Adam sucked in air desperately as the sounds of returning birds increased. More and more pidgeys were joining the fray. From the sounds of it, his pokemon were battling as well. Manny's and Flicker's voice raised to join the cacophony, but their words were lost. A few pidgeottes were starting to make a fuss too.

Adam curled against the trunk, the nest in his lap. One arm was raised to protect his face and the other was holing onto the tree for dear life. The mother was still frantically attacking the rocket, and more were joining her plight, leaving the battling below for the pidgeottoes and a few other stronger pidgeys.  

[Suudonym]

There was a sound rustling through the treetops that Shoyo recognized as wings, and he lifted his head to watch the canopy shudder and shift as the feathered forms passed through it. Accompanying the sight was a sound a short distance away, growing steadily in volume - the sound of Pidgey crying. Although he couldn't make out their exact words - it was possible, he supposed, that they were just screaming rather than really communicating something - he could tell with ease that they were angered and distressed. Not that it really took a flying-type affinity to determine that.

Birds felt something like kindred spirits to the boy whose only talent was jumping, and so he found himself naturally drawn towards the source of the commotion, worried that there was some kind of trouble. When the redheaded child came upon the clearing, he wasn't sure what to make of what he saw. The tall tree standing in the area was swarmed with unhappy birds, so much so that at first he couldn't even pinpoint that there was a human inside of it all.

Shoyo approached the tree somewhat apprehensively, not wanting to be labeled a threat as well. With his brow furrowed, he called up, "Hey, what's going on?! Are you okay?" His question addressed both the Pidgey swarm and their target.  

[Magician Arcana]

The birds called loudly at the new voice, some of them turning to glare at the intruder. He wasn't making himself seem like an enemy... Perhaps he was all right. Still some pidgeotto were displeased that yet another human had come to disturb their home.







Adam heard Shoyo's voice and felt like it was a call from heaven, "HELP! PLEASE! If you can! I was climbing the tree and then - AH!" There was a rush of wind and Adam barely kept his grip on the tree as a stream of curses flew from his lips. All three pokemon were on the ground, presumably knocked out.

The mother pidgey was crying loudly, mostly shrieking in distress, but on occasion shouting  

[Suudonym]

"We're not trying to steal eggs!" Shoyo called up, trying not to be intimidated by the accusation - or at least trying not to look it. He pointed up at the man they were attacking, "He can't get down if you keep attacking him! If you let him climb down, we'll both leave right away, okay? Promise!"

He furrowed his brow at the birds, his face screwed up into a determined, albeit worried, frown. He'd never tried negotiating with a wild pokemon before; he certainly hoped it worked... The inexperienced trainer very much doubted that Giant or Yuki could defeat so many enemies, even if they worked together.  

[Magician Arcana]

A few of the birds ruffled at the direct response.



A few of the surrounding Pidgeys calmed down considerably as the boy shouted that neither party could leave until the attacks stopped. Most of the birds begin to perch in the trees, weighing down the branches until they creaked under the weight.

Sweat trickled down Adam's neck, mixed with blood from numberous small cuts. He ached and his heart was beating faster than a race horse. Swallowing down a lump of fear, he raised his voice to be heard over the few birds that were cooing (growling) menacingly.

"Look, I'm sorry! Really. It was a mistake I swear to Arceus now let me down PLEASE."

The mother who had listened squawked loudly,

Slowly the wind began to pick up, pushing the rocket gently. It wasn't too strong at first, but it grew in strength and shoving might. Adam's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. GUST? Oh no. "Please!"

Keeping the nest in one arm, Adam scrambled down two more branches. His strength was leaving him. How he'd get back to the base was unknown. Desperately he called out to the other voice, "Keep talking for the love of Arceus! Please! s**t s**t s**t!"  

[Suudonym]

"It's not a lie!" Shoyo insisted, spreading his hands entreatingly. "And even if he was trying to steal them, he doesn't want to anymore, right? He even apologized! He just wants to get down so he can leave!"

The boy continued to frown as he thought intently on how to convince the birds of the stranger's innocence. Unfortunately, thinking was not his strong suit, and when the wind around the branches started to pick up, he abandoned the effort and went for a direct approach, "Hey, how can we convince you that we're telling the truth? What do you want us to do before you'll let him down?"  

[Magician Arcana]

The calmer pidgeys and pidgeottos twisted their heads about. An intense, hushed conversation brewed between them.



The mother, who was still frantically trying to push the intruder out of the tree screeched in anger, too frantic to be reasoned with. Two male pidgeys gave Shoyo a pitying look and then flew towards her. Together they grasped her wings dragging the wriggling, screeching bird to the ground.

Relieved of the wind, Adam whimpered thanks and continued his climb down. Scratches covered his limbs, leaving light red streaks of blood. Shakily, he et down the egg he had kept safe on the ground and backed far away.

"I'm sorry. Christ. I thought... I..." Adam swallowed and shook his head. He really didn't know what to say to pack of angry Pidgey. That was a little more than terrifying.

The mother stopped her thrashing and shuffled over to the egg once released. Still not convinced of either parties innocence, the Pidgey glared at Shoyo and Adam.

The rocket stood, his plight over, on shaking legs. "Maki, Flicker, Manny?" Tension curled in his stomach. Where the hell were his pokemon?

A pidgeotto raised a talon to the opposite side of the glen as he addressed Shoyo,